Overhead cleaners



Dec. 2, 1969 J. w. FERRI OVERHEAD CLEANERS Filed on. 10. 1966 mvnwnvnmavnvnvn R FEAR:

INVENTOR J'oHAnH WA LTE BY ATTORNEY.

Mum

United States Patent US. Cl. 55-288 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A traveling cleaner mounted for movement on a supporting rail arranged adjacent the equipment to be cleaned, said equipment including a blower housing within which a fan is enclosed, and blower ducts extending from the housing to direct a blown air stream. The air intake to the blower housing is covered by a filter screen, and a suction housing is positioned over the filter screen, with suction ducts extending from the suction housing to direct a suction air stream from the area to be cleaned into the suction housing. The suction housing is formed with an opening, and a stationary suction head is provided in the path of travel of the moving blower housing and suction housing so that the stationary suction head will move into the suction housing opening. The leading edge of the suction head is formed with a stripper edge serving to strip any foreign matter collecting on the filter screen as the cleaner moves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the art of cleaning devices for textile equipment such as spinning machines or the like, and more particularly, to an improved arrangement for a traveling overhead cleaner facilitating the removal of foreign matter from the filters conventionally employed in these traveling overhead cleaners so as to insure the free flow of air therethrough, and to provide a relatively pure cleaning air stream.

A variety of traveling overhead cleaners have been evolved for use in textile mills to implement cleaning of mill equipment of accumulations of lint, fly, or the like foreign matter which tends to accumulate on the processing equipment in the textile mill, and which unless removed, interferes with efiiciency of operation and quality of products. These traveling overhead cleaners generally comprise a blower unit mounted on an overhead rail positioned over the equipment to be cleaned. The blower unit contains a fan, the discharge of which is directed through ducts arranged to provide a blowing air stream along the path of travel of the cleaning unit so as to dislodge any foreign matter tending to accumulate on the mill equipment. Additionally, the ducts are extended from the suction side of the fan and arranged to provide suction air streams along the path of travel of the cleaning unit. In order to provide a cleaning air stream relatively free of impurities, and to collect the impurities entrained in the suction air stream, a filter screen is mounted over the intake of the blower fan to filter foreign matter from the cleaning air stream. The material filtered out on the filter screen must be periodically removed, and a variety of techniques have been evolved for cleaning the filter screen, such, for example, as shown in copending US. application Ser. No. 482,362.

In addition to mechanical cleaning devices such as brushes, pneumatic devices of the type described in the above mentioned co-pending application have also been employed, and a variety of reverse flow pneumatic systems have been developed.

These prior art devices for the cleaning of the filter screen present a number of problems in that previously evolved mechanical filter cleaning systems do not serve to adequately dislodge particles from the interstices of the filter screen. Pneumatic systems help in eliminating the problem. However, the cost of establishing adequate air flow in a pneumatic system often becomes economically prohibitive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is with the above problems and considerations in mind that the present improved overhead cleaning system has been evolved in which cleaning of the filter screen can be accomplished in a rapid, effective manner, combining both mechanical and pneumatic cleaning techniques at relatively low cost.

It is, accordingly, among the primary objects of this invention to provide means serving to improve the operation of overhead cleaners by maintaining the filter screens employed on such overhead cleaners in a relatively clean condition.

This and other objects of the invention, which will become hereafter apparent, are achieved by forming a traveling overhead cleaner with a blower housing and a suction housing, with a filter screen between said housings. By establishing an air stream adjacent to the path of travel of the overhead cleaner the filter may be cleaned. This air stream is preferably established by the use of a stationary suction head positioned adjacent one end of the path of travel of the overhead cleaner. The filter of the overhead cleaner is periodically exposed to the air stream established in the suction head so that foreign matter accumulating on the filter screen is entrained in the suction air stream. This is accomplished by extending a suction duct from a stationary suction source, the end of which duct moves over the filter screen as the overhead cleaner travels toward the end of its path of travel. In order to minimize the air handling capacities required to effect desired cleaning of the filter screen, the suction duct is formed with a stripper blade which rides over the filter screen as the filter screen is moved along with the cleaner unit to the end of its path of travel. This scraping action serves to positively remove any foreign matter accumulating on the filter screen permitting its ready entrainment in the suction air stream. Additionally, to minimize the air required to effect filter cleaning, the blower housing is provided with a throttle which is actuated to close off the discharge openings from the blower housing during filter cleaning.

A feature of the invention resides in the fact that the suction duct is formed in a simple expeditious fashion with a stripper edge by cutting the conventional duct at an acute angle to form the stripper edge.

Another feature of the invention resides in the fact that the stripper edge acts to move the filtered material to a point of maximum air velocity, thus implementing its removal.

A further feature resides in the throttle in the blower housing, serving to minimize filter cleaning air requirements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional elevational view showing the apparatus of FIG. 1 at the end of its path of travel, with the traveling cleaner engaged with the stationary suction head, the cross section being taken on an axial line through the traveling cleaner and the stationary head;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the blower housing of the traveling cleaner, illustrating the details of the blower throttle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularly to the drawings, like numerals in the various figures will be employed to designate like parts.

As seen in the drawings, and more particularly in FIG. 1, a creel or the like superstructures such as employed in connection with a variety of equipment in the textile mill, is provided with rails 11. As here illustrated and described, the invention is shown as applied in connection with a spinning frame in which the creel 10 is provided with rails 11. The overhead traveling cleaner '12 is arranged for reciprocal traverse over the rails 11 in conventional fashion. A traveling cleaner 12 is formed with a blower housing 13 from which two blow ducts, 14 and 15, extend horizontally a distance such as to clear the horizontal extent of the equipment such as a spinning frame, in connection with which the cleaner is employed, and then downwardly along the sides of the spinning machine, with appropriate blower nozzles arranged on the blower ducts 14 and 15 to provide the desired blowing action at the points of the spinning frame where blowing action is required to effect cleaning. The blower housing 13 encloses a fan 16a which acts to establish an air stream drawing air into the blower housing through an opening in upper surface 16 of blower housing 13. Filter screen 17 is arranged in this opening in upper surface 16 so that the air drawn into the blower housing 13 is filtered.

Mounted above the blower housing 13, to substantially confine the volume of air above the filter screen, as best seen in FIG. 1, is suction housing 18. Leading to the suction housing are suction ducts 19 and 20, which extend in planes substantially parallel to blower ducts 14 and 15. The suction ducts 19 and lead into suction housing 18 via intake opening 22, as best seen in FIG. 1. As seen in FIG. 1, the suction ducts 19 and 20 are preferably arranged to intersect the sidewalls of the suction housing 18 at a point substantially tangent thereto, with the oval intake opening 22 providing an air passage between the suction ducts 19 and 20 and the suction housing 18. A cleanout opening 21 is formed in the sidewall of suction housing 18 substantially opposite inlet opening 22.

A stationary suction head is arranged on the rail 11 at the end of traverse of the traveling cleaner 12, prior to its reversal of direction. The stationary suction head 30 is formed with a horizontally extending suction duct 31 of rectangular cross-section and of a dimension to substantially fill cleanout opening 21. The width of the suction head is less than the width of the filter screen 17. Suction duct 31 extends, from a suction source 32, into the path of travel of the traveling cleaner 12, a distance such that at the limit of movement of the traveling cleaner 12 towards the stationary suction head 30, the duct 31 will extend through opening 21 and lie over the filter screen 17 as best seen in FIG. 2. The lower surface of the suction duct 31 is positioned a few millimeters above the upper surface of the filter 17, just sufiicient to provide ease of relative movement between filter screen 17 and the lower surface of the suction duct 31. The end of the suction duct 31 is cut off at an acute angle, as viewed in FIG. 2 to form a wedge in elevation, as viewed in FIG. 2, with a relatively sharp leading edge. A cover 33 is hingedly secured at the leading edge of the upper surface of suction duct 31, and this cover 33 is fulcrumed at 34 so that the cover acts as a simple lever, with a force applied to the free upper end of cover 33 acting to pivot the lower end of the cover 33 about hinge 34, to the position illustrated in FIG. 2. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, this pivoting action takes place as the traveling cleaner 12 moves over suction duct 31, with suction duct 31 passing into the cleanout opening 21. The leading edge of the wedge shaped end of suction duct 31 is formed with a scraper or stripper 35. This stripper edge may be formed integrally with the suction duct, by bending the leading edge thereof downwardly, or an auxiliary strip may be secured to the leading edge of the suction duct 31 to form the stripper edge. The lower leading surface of the stripper 35 is positioned to move over the surface of filter screen 17 in frictional contact therewith.

In order to facilitate movement of the traveling cleaner 12 over the suction duct 31, a slide bearing 36 in the form of a sheet of material having a low coefficient of friction with respect to the upper surface of duct 31 is secured beneath the upper wall of suction housing 22, as best seen in FIG. 2. Materials such as Teflon or the like are found particularly suitable.

In order to implement the desired cleaning of the filter screen, means are provided to produce a back pressure against the lower surface of the filter screen 17. This is accomplished by providing a blow-out throttle 40, as seen in FIG. 3 which is pivoted on the lower wall of blower housing 13 and is formed with upstanding flanges which can be moved to cover the openings leading from the blower housing 13 to blow ducts 14 and 15, as shown by the dot-dash lines in FIG. 3. Extending down from the thottle 40 is a lever 41 which extends out of the housing adjacent the support rails 11, as best seen in FIG. 2.

OPERATION In use, the traveling cleaner 12 is arranged for reciprocal movement over the equipment to be cleaned. As illustrated, the traveling cleaner, as shown, is mounted on the rails 11 supported on creel 10 of the spinning frame. Energization of the equipment, in conventional fashion, causes the traveling cleaner to start its movement along the rails 11, and starts the fan 16a rotating within blower housing 13. An air stream is established which draws air in through the suction ducts 19 and 20 in which any foreign matter entrained in the suction air stream is carried up into the suction housing and filtered out on the upper surface of filter screen 17. The filtered air then passes down through the blower housing 13 through blow ducts 14 and 15. Since it is generally advantageous to blow more air out of the blow ducts than can be drawnv in through the suction ducts, the opening 21 serves during the operating period of the traveling cleaner to provide additional air to the fan. During its movement along track 11, the traveling cleaner 12 approaches the stationary suction duct 31, and as it approaches this stationary suction duct 31, the throttle actuating lever 41, which sticks down below the traveling cleaner 12 strikes spring detent 42 mounted on the rail 11, as best seen in FIG. 1. On striking spring detent 42, the throttle lever 41 is moved, causing throttle 40 to pivot from the solid line position illustrated in FIG. 3 to the dot-dash position, closing off the openings leading from blower housing 13 to the blower ducts 14 and 15. In its continued movement toward the stationary duct 31, the cleaner 12 carries throttle lever 41 over the spring detent 42, which bends out of the path of the lever. Simultaneously, with the release of the throttle lever 41, the upper edge of cover plate 33 on suction head 30 strikes the upper edge of the cleanout opening 21, as a result of which the cover plate is pivoted to open the stationary duct 31. The stream of air through the filter 17 into the blower chamber 13 is now throttled, and after the cover 33 has opened fully, the air stream established by the suction source 32 flows through the suction ducts 19 and 20, and the suction housing 18 into the suction duct 31 of the suction head. As a result of the throttling of the stream of air through the filter 17, the layer of foreign material 50, as best seen in FIG. 2 is entrained in the air stream, being drawn into suction duct 31. The stripper edge 35 on the suction duct 31 implements removal of this foreign matter from the upper surface of filter screen 17 as a result of the peeling action provided by the frictional contact between the stripper edge and the upper surface of the filter screen 17. It will be noted that this stripper 35 acts to push the fibers toward the inlet opening 22 which will be the zone of maximum air velocity from the suction ducts 19 and 20 into the suction duct 31, as best seen in FIG. 2.

After the cleanout has been accomplished, the traveling cleaner 12 starts on its journey in the Opposite direction away from the stationary suction head 30, and in so doing, throttle pin or lever 41 again abuts against spring detent 42 causing the throttle pin 41 to be moved, moving the throttle 40 to the solid line position illustrated in FIG. 3 to open the passage between the blower housing 13 and ducts 14 and 15. Shortly before the throttles are moved to a full fiow position, the cover 33 moves out of contact with suction housing 18, and under the action of gravity drops back into its closed position over the end of duct 31, where it is held by the vacuum prevailing in the suction duct 31.

Since the stationary suction head 30 is open only during a short time and then closed again for a few minutes, it can be connected to an existing suction source such as a Pneumafil collector unit or the like, without the suction power of the latter having to be increased.

It is thus seen that a simple arrangement has been provided for effecting cleaning of the filter screen of a traveling overhead cleaner, by the use of relatively simple apparatus, without requiring the establishment of expensive air flow streams.

What is claimed is:

1. A traveling cleaner, mounted for movement on a supporting rail arranged adjacent the equipment to be cleaned, said cleaner comprising: a blower housing having an air inlet opening in an upper Wall of said housing, and an air outlet opening in a sidewall of said housing; a fan within said housing establishing an air stream; ducts extending from the air outlet opening of said housing conducting a blown stream of air from said blower housing; a filter screen positioned in the air inlet opening in said blower housing through which air flows to said housing; a suction housing supported on said blower housing in covering relationship with said filter screen, said suction housing having an inlet opening therein; a suction duct leading to said suction housing via the inlet opening in said suction housing; said suction housing having a normally open cleanout opening; a stationary suction head comprising a suction duct dimensioned to fit within the cleanout opening in said suction housing; and a stripper edge on said suction duct riding over the top of said filter screen as said traveling cleaner moves into engagement with said stationary suction head.

2. A traveling cleaner, as in claim 1, in which said stationary suction head comprises: a closure cover on said suction duct, lever actuated to move from a position opening said suction duct to a position closing same, with the opening action taking place upon movement of said suction housing over said stationary suction duct.

3. A traveling cleaner as in claim 2 in which said stationary suction duct is cut at an acute angle at its free open end; and said closure cover is pivotally secured to the upper edge of the open end of said duct as a simple lever.

4. A traveling cleaner as in claim 1 in which said suction ducts extend substantailly tangentially from said suction housing from a single blower opening.

5. A cleaning device as in claim 1 having: a throttle positioned in said blower housing; a throttle lever coupled to said throttle, and extending from said housing; and a detent in the path of travel of said traveling cleaner, engaging said lever to move said throttle to a position closing off the air passages between said blower housing and said blower ducts, said detent positioned to engage said throttle lever to move said throttle to a position throttling air flow from said blower housing to said blower ducts as said traveling cleaner moves toward said stationary suction head.

6. A cleaning device as in claim 5 in which said detent is a spring member over which said lever rides after being engaged and moved to a limping position by said detent.

7. A cleaning device as in claim 1 in which said stationary suction head is formed of sheet material rectangular in cross-section, with the leading edge thereof bent downwardly to a position contacting said filter screen to form said stripper edge.

8. A cleaning device, as in claim 1, in which said suction head is of width transverse to the direction of movement of said housing less than the width of said filter screen.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,055,771 3/1913 Matchette et al. 1,651,894 12/1927 Kent et al. 2,230,425 12/ 1941 Finnegan. 2,475,815 7/1949 Burd 55-356 X 2,789,662 4/ 1957 McMullen 55-27 6 2,976,558 3/1961 Fain 55295 X 3,003,178 10/1961 McEachern 153 12 3,011,205 12/1961 Holtzclaw 15-312 3,011,925 12/1961 Holtzclaw 15312 X 3,025,785 3/1962 Deems. 3,045,274 7/1962 Sohler 55-297 X 3,046,162 7/1962 Black 153l2 X 3,055,038 9/1962 Black 15312 3,063,874 11/1962 Black.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,340,660 9/1963 France.

FRANK W. LUTTER, Primary Examiner D. E. TALBERT, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

